"I could become a stewardess": Perceived benefits and shortcomings of being university graduates in the Romanian labor market.

In recent decades, Romania has expanded its business service sector rapidly. With the rise of outsourced jobs, young university graduates are hired in positions that are  not aligned with their educational backgrounds, abilities, and experiences. Given a socio-constructivist paradigm, this study examined how participants perceived the importance and value of higher education mainly overeducated graduates working as customer support representatives (CSRs). Drawing from two years of ethnographical case study data analyzed thematically, the findings reveal the private and social benefits attributed to being university graduates. However, the results also show a contrasting unfolding scenario characterized by how CSRs increasingly lose their enthusiasm and motivation to remain productive at work. Some CSRs regrated, perceive alternative better options after a brief professional course and a growing trend of unstable careers, thus diminishing the value of higher education. We conclude by revealing the weak link between the labor market and higher education, which aggravates employers' doubts about graduate employability.